Day 499: See You In My Dreams

Starting to feel better from the vaccine side effects. I want to get back to myself. haven’t run in days. Tomorrow we’re helping Sean’s parents pack up their house for a few hours. I plan to spend the rest of the day working in my room and I am happy to do it. Feel so grateful for my space and the projects I’m doing. By end of summer, I’ll be sharing more about my work with Hvr and our new app. I am so excited! Looking forward to this week. I love Monday because you never know what the day might bring. Sending you sunshine and ALL THE BEST FOR A GREAT DAY. Watched ‘See You In My Dreams’ on Netflix today, cute movie, bit sad. This song is nice tho.

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Day 494: Ice Cream Date

Woke up super tired today, not sure why. I find I’m more tired than ever these days and I guess it’s just pandemic fatigue at this point. ?‍♀️ I was out and about this weekend and after not doing much for almost a year, it’s exhausting! Took myself on an ice cream date after a nice long bike ride. I try to get outside for a run or ride each day to clear my head, get exercise, and fresh air. The ice cream at Gaspar Cafe near our place is incredible! I rarely do dairy but when I do, I pretty much always have chocolate. Yesterday I started watching Virgin River on Netflix and it’s not particularly good but somehow I’m almost done the first season. I have a soft spot for shows that I can put on in the background while I’m writing that doesn’t take too much focus, especially if they’re murder or romantic comedy. That’s all for today! Here’s to a good week!

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Day 456: Sick Day 1

Yesterday I wasn’t feeling so great and spent the whole day on the couch. I’d planned to meet some friends in the park but just wasn’t up for it. Played Animal Crossing for hours and watched Netflix shows back to back. Today I woke up feeling like DEATH. My whole body hurts, face & neck are swollen and my throat is sore. I’m hoping it’s from the vaccine and not a cold but at this point, I don’t know. Took the day off from work as I can’t focus on anything.

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Day 446: Live Music in the Sun

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Day 406: She’s Only Happy In The Sun

Had a quiet Friday night after a long week. Sean got his vaccine yesterday and we spent the night watching The Serpent on Netflix. Idk why but just love a serial killer story, thought the show was really well done. This morning we cleaned up the roof patio, tossed a few old things, and packed some in the truck for the cottage. I biked over to meet April at Dundas & Ossington in the afternoon. we walked to Kensington picked up ome groceries and got coffee. It was so nice and sunny out. Felt great to be outside the house and in a different part of downtown. I biked back home and spent some time reading on the roof. I am loving these warmer days. I was planning to do some work on the garden but I sliced my hand pretty bad with a bred knife making breakfast so I’ll have to save that for another time. No plans tonight, I’m sure we’ll find something to watch. Title is a song from Ben Harper that always makes me think of my sister. ?

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Day 403: In The Worst of Weather, Dress Appropriately

April is rainy and cold, we know this. Like winter, spring can be a sad season but if you have the right thing to wear, it’s not so bad. ? I wrote about my love for Transitional Coat Season (spring moody temps!) last month on Day 374 and my love for ‘coat season‘ back in October (Day 205), another transitional month. Remember, in the worst of weather dress appropriately, layer, accessorize and wear the right shoes. When it rains, I have two fav coats depending on humidity. One of my favorite raincoats is a rubberized cotton number from Stutterheim in Sweden. It is easily one of the most $$ things I own and cherish it! (I found out I’m 10% Scandanavian shortly after getting this jacket so maybe that makes me love it more?) My ‘Stockholm Red‘ jacket was a gift via my friends Leslie & Lindsay of WRG (What’s Really Good Studios) in Montreal back in 2015. This coat is MADE TO LAST and only gets better with age. If it’s realllllly raining and I have to face the elements, I also have cute rain boots and a nice umbrella. A wild weather day is an outfit adventure opportunity, or a reason to stay home, you decide. This is a photo from 2015 on the bridge near our house. It’s crazy to go back and read my own posts, memory is weird. I look at the photos and I read the post in my voice, but I don’t really remember the moment. The title of the post that day is “The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” “I dunno what it is about this time of year of this weather but it’s really got me down. I was feeling so meh today I could…

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Day 400: Staring At The Wall

How you doing? I’m feeling the weight of everything this week and it is heavy. My new job is great but adjusting from 6+ years of freelance to work 40 hours a week has been tiring. Watching the news and seeing things get worse is extremely draining. Not being able to see family when they’re going through their own things is heartbreaking. We’re not even allowed to meet friends in the park anymore.  Each day this week I opened my blog admin to write something and ended up writing the title and staring at the screen. I couldn’t find the words to document the day. I try to appreciate something good each day like the sun, a call from mum, a good outfit, or laughing over DM’s with a friend. It’s hard to stay motivated/positive right now. Things are pretty bad. We can only hope things will get better but perspective is hard when we’re stuck in the middle of a storm that’s been going on for 13 months.  Today I woke up thinking about work and excited to get things done. My motivation slowly declined when I checked my phone, laid back down in my fully made bed, and stared at the wall for a while. Do you find yourself staring at the wall too? Next, I watered my plants and moved some around, grabbed some snacks, made coffee, and turned into the couch.  In other news, keeping this pandemic diary is surprisingly therapeutic. Despite some days where I’m completely exhausted, there have been a lot of good days. I find myself looking back and remembering park hangs in the summer, bike rides, cottage life, and great meals we made at home. Thankful for friends and family, also Netflix/Prime, good wifi, and snacks.  Sending you love, hang in there. ?

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Day 363: Counting The Days

Socially distanced. Wearing a mask. Staying home. Staying inside. Working from home. Distanced walks. Banana bread. Zoom meetings. You’re on mute. Loungewear. Self-care. It’s wild to think back to March 13th, 2020. I remember going to the gym in the morning, meeting friends at Drake Commissary for lunch, eating inside. Picking up beers from the brewery, walking home in the sunshine. I went for a walk at magic hour, sat inside at the bar for a pint near our house. The next day my sister came over and we watched Contagion thinking, no way this could happen here. I’m not exactly sure how to ‘celebrate’ one year, it’s not the kind of thing you’d throw a party for. A party is technically illegal these days. I’m gonna keep counting the days until the pandemic is over. Hopefully the end is near but looking at how the vaccinations are rolling out, it might be a while. A couple of friends in Canada got their vaccines this week and I can’t wait to get mine so we can all hang out. I miss seeing friends. events, concerts, yelling in a crowded bar, karaoke, fashion shows, press-previews, or grabbing one last drink at a dive bar. Today we watched The One on Netflix and finished the 8 Episode series. Good show! Sean chopped wood and we had a nice fire, cozied up on the couch. Pretty sure it was only 9 pm when we both fell asleep.

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Day 354: Hanging Out With Me

I always kinda danced to my own drum but over the past year, I’ve realized how much I really like hanging out with me. I’m so fun. I love walking, running, exercise with me, making crafts, sewing. I love writing alone in my room with the lights dim and Netflix in the background. I love playing in my closet or going through the bins under my bed. I love being alone with my stuff and talking to myself. I laugh when I’m alone with me about all kinds of things. I smile into my phone when I text friends. I smile when I write emails and I think it shows. I think one of the best things we can learn from the past year is how to JUST BE with our thoughts and who we really are. It’s the biggest life lesson we can learn. It’s a journey, not a destination. The process of getting to know oneself is ongoing and there are bumps along the way. The road to self-love is less traveled and you have make your own path. We can all get there, it just takes work. Don’t get me wrong I love my family and friends, but when you really know and love yourself, you have more to share.

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Day 350: Sunday, Pure Sun

On Sunday I like to keep the day free for myself to charge my batteries for the week ahead. Sean and I spent the morning in the kitchen, he is an expert level sous chef so he prepped all the food ingredients. We made roast vegetables, crunchy roast chickpeas, rice, a lentil curry w/ sweet potato, falafels, and my fav spicy Mediterranean-inspired rainbow salad. ? I love a weekend delivery and I was happy to get this beautiful art-inspired package from Pure Sunfarms in BC. They sent a few items from their new collection of apparel, accessories, objects & art inspired by their love of plants & modern life. I love the package design and art by Brooklyn-based artist Laura Garcia Serventi. I’m gonna frame the print! “I draw inspiration from the natural world, both flora and fauna, as well as vintage botanical illustration and vintage books of science. I also look back at art history a lot. But botanical gardens are my favourite.” LAURA SEVENTI I’d love one of their ‘SUNSHINE’ shirts (obvs) and also their decorative ashtrays that look like a sun, see below! My gift included natural Palo Santo from Woodlot and their yellow Grower’s hand soap that smells AMAZING, it has lemongrass, turmeric, Balsam Fir, and bergamot. Sean is a big fan of Pure Sunfarms cannabis products and everything in their Marketplace is so artfully designed. I stan a weed brand that makes great, artful products. ? “Nature has always been our greatest source of inspiration when it comes to both ingredients and scent. Our priority is to make products that are clean burning and made with simple, organic ingredients, but we’re also a scent company at heart, and we want our scent catalog to serve as a connection to the earth.” SONIA CHHINJI, WOODLOT I…

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Day 336: Happy Valentines Day!

I’m at home today and Sean is at the cottage with Emily. He sent me the most special surprise… We had a lovely Valentine’s dinner on Thursday night and shared gifts then watched some Netflix. He got me a rose bush plant instead of flowers and as a plant mama, it was the perfect present! I don’t share too much about Sean here but he is so wonderful! We first met over in 2009 and I couldn’t imagine my life without him. He makes me laugh every single day and supports me in everything I do. I’m so grateful for him in my life. SEAN, ILYSM!

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Day 328: Cozy Cottage

It was so nice to come back to Muskoka last night. We made a fire, watched Netflix and had a cozy cottage night. Spent almost all of Saturday lazing around, eating snacks and watching shows. We all need to give ourselves a break, relax, and take time to recharge our batteries. SO GRATEFUL FOR THE WEEKEND.

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Day 325: Sleep Goal Achieved

Yesterday I was so exhausted. After watching Y&R (as usual) from 4:30-5:30, I put on my pajamas, washed my face, and got ready for bed. Had a couple of phone chats with friends and finished S2 of BONDiNG on Netflix. Good show, it’s about a Femme Domme, a comedian, and their relationships. Got an advance copy of a new book on Kindle via NetGalley called ‘The Girls Are All So Nice Here‘. It’s a suspense thriller about two best friends and comes out on March 9th, 2021. This month I’m determined to read more books, I read heaps at the start of the Pani and fell off my reading game over the summer. I did a Peloton sleep meditation before bed last night and woke up feeling refreshed. According to my watch, I slept 9 hours & 24 minutes and my average sleep per night has increased in the past 14 days. I’ve really been loving the Calm SleepStories but decided to switch it up, I know, WILD. I used to stay up late but given the current circumstances, I figure I might as well get as many ZZZs as possible and make some new habits. I’ve been finding it harder to get up in the morning so I’m actively trying to fall asleep earlier. If I get a good 8 hours, as the days get longer, I’ll feel more like doing my morning workouts. At least, I HOPE THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS.

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Day 314: Friday, Chill House

I usually start out the week with high energy. On Monday, I get getting fully dressed, have coffee, exercise, and get ready for the week. I was quite productive for the first few days but by the end of the week, I felt drained. It’s not that I was doing a lot, it’s just life these days, pandemic fatigue. I didn’t really leave the house from Wednesday-Friday, except for the odd trip to the corner store. By Friday, I was tired, wearing jogging pants, a messy bun, and spent the day on the couch with my computer. Friday, chill house vibes all around. I successfully watched the entire first season of Bling Empire on Netflix in none day. Next, I watched Y&R (as usual!) then Death of Me on Netflix. Sean arrived back home just after 6 pm and we ordered takeout pho (Vietnamese soup, so good!). Looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home, maybe some self-care, and catching up on blog posts. I try to write each day but if I don’t, I batch update with photos from the week. Hope you are hanging in there, we’ll get through this. The next couple months will be hard but before we know it, grass will be growing, flowers blooming, and spring will be in the air.

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